I do not have really have a problem with a player slipping down or making a mistake. But when the coaching and game plan sets the whole team up for failure that really upsets me, because we have to win IN SPITE of poor coaching and play calling. Henne to be seems to be just a tad slow on dropping back and setting up. Not really slow but just enough for a defender to get 2 feet closer or for his pass to be a 1/10th of a second off. So.. A) Don't use a play action pass when you need a lot of yards on 3rd down. B) Don't use a play action pass when the defense has no reason to think you might run (see A). C) Don't use a play action if you cannot make a simple ball fake (If you do not fool the defense, a PA pass is counter productive since it takes longer for the QB to set up and he has to take his eyes off of downfield. A play fake is 80% on the QB, 20% on the RB and 110% of the coaches. I've yet to see Henne make one decent fake or any running back act like he had the ball and was really running with it. A good example would be on our first three and out. We had not shown the Jets that we could run on them. We also used a PA pass on our first play last week and we had our only long pass completion on that play. So trying a PA pass on our first play of the game was foolish and expected. K Wilson was 9 yards off of Brian Hartline, Wilson never had a thought that we were running the ball and/or he did not care. Chad Pennington would have changed to another play. Chad Henne either did not see it or he is not allowed to make audibles. This is our first series: * Miami Dolphins at 09:17 * 2-N.Folk kicks 55 yards from NYJ 30 to MIA 15. 38-P.Cobbs to MIA 30 for 15 yards (34-M.Cole). * 1-10-MIA 30 (9:12) 7-C.Henne play action pass, incomplete deep middle to 82-B.Hartline. * 2-10-MIA 30 (9:04) 7-C.Henne sacked at MIA 27 for -3 yards (92-S.Ellis). * 3-13-MIA 27 (8:25) 7-C.Henne play action pass, incomplete short right to 34-R.Williams.(why call a play action pass and then attempt a short pass that would not have made a first down anyway. * 4-13-MIA 27 (8:16) (Punt formation) 2-B.Fields punts 68 yards to NYJ 5, Center-92-J.Denney. 20-K.Wilson to NYJ 13 for 8 yards (27-B.Sapp). P.S. I totally forgot to add that the PA pass on 3rd and a foot where Henne threw the TD to Marshall was the perfect time to use it. Two years ago Tom Brady had a unreal pass completion percentage on PA passes and almost all were from a first down or a TD. Now the Wildcat: One team that knows how to stop the Wildcat is the Jets. They understand that the player we use to run it is not a ex QB like the player they use in it. To me what really makes the Wildcat work is the the running back coming into motion across the field (and a real ball fake would not hurt). One big reason that this works is because it puts some defensive players into motion. On Ronnie's really poor pass attempt, he did not have a fake or player in motion. No one is ever going to respect him not running until he completes a pass. I also would not run the Wildcat 3-4 times in a row, IMO, it works best as a surprise and before the defense puts in a defensive set just for it. The prefect example of doing things the right way is the Jet's Brad Smith. His came really out of more of a spread option(the play by play on NFL.com said it was a direct snap to Smith in the Shotgun) then the Wildcat but he faked Cameron Wake into fully commenting to stopping the running back that put his nose down and dived into the line (sorta like he really had the ball). Brad Smith made 16 yards on that play. I played football in the 70's and was a Wishbone QB. Ball fakes had to be more then perfect, a Wishbone QB has to put the ball into the fullback's guy and make the snap decision on giving him the ball or pulling it out and going to the next set of options. Ronnie Brown really needs to learn how to do this. To read the defense and decide in a split second to give the ball to take it himself. All in all, I have to put this on the coaches much more then on the players.
Agreed 110% with all of that. I wish you were in Dan Henning's shoes. Then maybe we wouldn't try and run play action on 3rd and 15. This after completely abandoning the run from the get-go (which in their defense we were already down 7, but still no excuse for abandoning your bread and butter out of the base set). Do they not know that you have to establish the run before even attempting play-action (let alone 3rd and a mile where no one in their right mind is going to "bite" on it)?
I've been sort of pushing the same thing less articulately. I agree with what you say about everything. Especially the PA Passing Game.
I can still heaar one of my high school coaches yelling, "Ain't nobody gonna stop the wishbone..." yet they seemed to stop it every single week. I agree, Ronnie has to sell it in order to pick up easy yards, and since he's not a QB it does not come naturally. I do not mind seeing the WC on repetitive plays as long as the chains are moving....the offense was designed to wear down defenses and we should use it in that fashion. If it's stopped for no yardage on 1st down though, it's time to bring Henne in and give him 2 downs to make something hapen. I can't ever see starting the wildcat on 2nd or 3rd down. You could make an argument to use it on the goal line (which we should have done against NY in the closing minutes) or in short yardage, but to run it on 2nd down then ask Henne to pass on 3rd is basically telegraphing the entire series. Don't forget, to run it only on second or third down you're asking Henne to sprint off of the field, wait ten seconds, then sprint right back on....that's ridiculous. A QB is supposed to be winded after the series...not before the 1st snap.
Ugh. The Fins should have a job fair during the off season b/c we have a million Offensive Coordinators on this board alone. The play action on the game's first play was a GREAT call done in by poor execution. It matters not what Kyle Wilson was doing. He was outside leverage, in no position to make a play on a POST route either way. The defender in question was the SS Leonhard, its his job to cover the middle of the field on that play. Leonhard was held by the play fake long enough for Hartline to get behind him, and if the throw was on target or BH82 was a little faster, its a TD. And then the wanna be genius fans would make threads about how great a call it was. Henne hit Marshall on a similar play on the first play of the Minny game, but it was a 9 route not a post. In any case, it was a near miss. But it sure put a seed in the heads of the Jets defenders and coaches. Dare I say it may have kept them from flying up in run support for a few series. Play action was effective for most of the night, though the drop back passing game was equally effective. The WC was kind of a dud on Sunday. Smiley is gone, he was our best puller. Jerry is now our best puller, he was out also. The Jets are stout up front and have seen the WC many, many times. With the way the passing game was working, I didn't see any need to get cute. But I won't play the result or insinuate that I'm smarter than the coaches. That's just silly.
P.S. I totally forgot to add that the PA pass on 3rd and a foot where Henne threw the TD to Marshall was the perfect time to use it. Two years ago Tom Brady had a unreal pass completion percentage on PA passes and almost all were from a first down or a TD.
I dont see how using PA on the first play of the game was "foolish"? The play worked to perfection... and Hartline got behind the defense. Just missed the throw... It was a great playcall... and could have been a TD.
